The Laws of Attraction (Love is a Destination Book 2)
THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION
Love is a Destination, Book Two
Carly Morgan
Copyright @ 2017
The Laws of Attraction, Love is a Destination, Book 2
Carly Morgan (RaShelle Workman)
Polished Pen Press Corporation, LLC
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any format or in any way without prior written permission of the author.
For my sweet love, J. I’ll love you forever!
Contents
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The Laws of Attraction
Hawaiian Proverb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Getting Caught in the Rain
Contact Carly Morgan
Also by Carly Morgan
LOVE IS A DESTINATION SERIES
The Laws of Music
The Laws of Attraction
Getting Caught in the Rain
HAPPILY EVER SERIES
Happily Ever Summer
PEACH VALLEY SERIES
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The Laws of Attraction
Reality TV star Pamela “Birdy” Bird has had enough drama to last a lifetime. Now she is on her way to Maui for her best friend’s destination wedding. One week of sand, sun, and fun with the bride-to-be. But that’s it! No dating and no distractions. Too bad the producer of her show Birdy Knows Best has other ideas. Ex-Navy SEAL and hot shot lawyer Ares Devereux hasn’t had a vacation in years. As best man, he’s ready for some relaxation and he intends to enjoy every moment of the wedding festivities. But he also has an ulterior motive. He wants to show Birdy he’s more than just another lawyer at her father’s law firm. Can a reality TV star and a hot shot lawyer find love, or will Birdy fly the coop before they get the chance?
Hawaiian Proverb
Aloha Aku No, Aloha Mai No
I give my love to you, you give your love to me.
Chapter One
Pamela “Birdy” Bird watched the endless blue ocean glide by from the window of her private jet. She was up too high, but that didn’t stop her from searching the glistening water for sharks. Anything to keep her mind off the fact that she would be losing her best friend. At least that was what it felt like. Katie was marrying Max Legend in one week’s time and then Birdy would be all alone.
It wasn’t how she’d wanted her life to go. She wanted to find love. Her person. But it hadn’t worked out, despite the dozens and dozens of dates she’d been on. She wasn’t picky, but she also didn’t want to settle.
Her eyes darted toward the man seated across the aisle of the luxurious airplane. Ares Devereux. GQ model looks and the epitome of a mysterious man. He worked at her father’s law firm and for that reason, she refused to give him a second thought. At least, she tried, but sometimes she couldn’t help herself.
Groaning inwardly, she turned back to the window and the dazzling ocean below, allowing her mind to wander.
What came to mind were her guidelines. The rules she lived by no matter what. She only had three. The first: She would never, ever, under any circumstances jump out of a perfectly good airplane. To her that was just asking for trouble and she felt zero need to even consider such an absurd choice. In college, she and a few of her friends had made a late-night pact to do just that. Under duress, she agreed to jump with them. The next morning, she came to her senses, and backed out. Her friends were disappointed to say the least. But she couldn’t do it. Even the idea of purposely leaving the confines of a safe plane with only a hope the parachute would open sent shivers down her spine. But that fateful day led to her second rule.
She refused to break a promise. Even though the sky diving incident had been trivial in the great scheme of her life, she’d still sensed her friends’ frustration. It hurt to know she’d let them down. So, she vowed after that moment to only make promises she would keep. This rule had served her well over the years. But sometimes, it was difficult. Like when she signed a two-year contract with Authentic Entertainment. She’d been at a low point in her life, having been accused of murdering her best friend Katie’s fiancé. The reality network had convinced her that living her life on camera was a good idea—further evidence to indicate how broken she’d been. It still shocked her to realize she’d made the deal. Thankfully, she had the good sense to let Katie take a look at the contract. After her friend reviewed it, she made changes that included adding rights to a mobile game, Birdy Knows Best: New York, as well as other bonuses. It’d been a lucrative deal from a financial standpoint, mainly because it meant she no longer had to rely on her dad’s money.
That had been eighteen months ago. Since then, she’d been cleared of all charges and released from prison. With only six months left on her AE contract, she couldn’t wait for it to be over. Having someone follow her around with a camera every moment of every day was exhausting, not to mention invasive. She didn’t know how other reality stars handled it for so long.
“Can you tell us where you’re flying to?” the producer of her show, Birdy Knows Best, asked. Her name was Meredith Howard. She was nice enough, if a little pushy. Birdy figured that was why Meredith had her job. She had to be pushy or Birdy wouldn’t tell her anything. It hadn’t been that way, at first.
When Birdy was released from prison, she’d sulked in her apartment for a few weeks before making the decision to get out and socialize. That choice turned into copious amounts of partying. Even her father had commented on her revelry, which was surprising, especially since he hadn’t bothered to defend her against the murder charges and imprisonment she’d endured. Instead he’d sent junior associate, Ares Devereux, to help out. It still stung. Afterward, her father called her an embarrassment and she’d said a few choice things in return. They hadn’t spoken in over a year.
Social media called her a pretentious socialite. They commented on her carousing, speculating that she was spinning out of control. Truth be told, they had been right.
Part of her had wanted to blame Katie. Her best friend since college had all but abandoned her for her new job at Birdy’s father’s firm, Bird, Myers, and Childress. And if Katie wasn’t working, she was spending her time with her fiancé, Max Legend, lead singer of the hit Christian rock band, Look No Further. It didn’t help that the two of them were so in love and so happy it made Birdy sick (and jealous, but she refused to tell anyone that). On top of that, Katie travelled all over the world for her job, leaving little time for Birdy.
Birdy decided the sure cure for loneliness was a ni
ght out with “friends”. That had been her motto for months until Meredith showed her some of the footage. It’d been like watching a complete stranger. Birdy hadn’t recognized the woman in the video, and felt sick inside at what she witnessed. Much of it she hadn’t remembered doing or being a part of.
Her partying came to a screeching halt after that. It was the wakeup call she needed to pull herself together. Birdy didn’t want to be known as the spoiled rich girl. That wasn’t her, not really.
Which brought her to her final rule. It came from the Bible. A verse Katie shared with her on one of her sulky nights. Found in John, it basically said: Do to others only what you would want done to you. The verse struck a chord in her.
She took up yoga, a frustrating, complicated, infuriating form of exercise that was exactly what she needed to take her mind off feeling sorry for herself. It was her first step toward taking care of herself. But she still ate like a teenager. Nothing could cure her of her Twinkie habit.
The next step in self-care had been attending church with Max and Katie when they were in town. She also donated time at a local homeless shelter and spent two days a week reading to children at the Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai.
Slowly, her heart had healed, more or less.
Unfortunately, her social one eighty had its own set of issues where the show was concerned. Drama equaled higher ratings, and that’s the network wanted. After a few weeks of filming Birdy serving food and reading Eloise to sick children, her producer asked for more. Birdy gave it her best, making a point to attend high society functions, including fundraisers and other events. The public loved seeing the rich and richer embarrassing themselves, making a spectacle, and doing all manner of malicious acts to each other. But the real excitement happened when Katie asked Birdy to be her maid of honor. To the producers, that was spectacular news. “A wedding,” Meredith had exclaimed. “Everyone loves a wedding. And it doesn’t hurt that Max Legend will be the groom.”
The production team followed her while she attended fittings, accompanied Katie to the cake tastings (she hadn’t minded that), met with dress designers, helped Katie choose her wedding colors (warm shades of green and yellow), pick out a gown, and assist the bridesmaids in choosing a dress best suited for them, as well as shoes, jewelry, and more. She knew her role as the maid of honor and worked to do it to the best of her ability. It’d been a whirlwind of wedding planning. Birdy jokingly referred it all as the weddingpalooza of the century.
Because Max and Katie were having their wedding in Maui, it’d also been tricky at times too. Like when she had to coordinate the several parties and dinners they would be having while there. Thankfully, her assistant, Georgie, was around. She helped Birdy wherever necessary and handled her social media, kept track of events, and made sure Birdy had time for the events she agreed to. Georgie had become a friend too, though Birdy had a hard time trusting anyone except Katie after her incarceration.
“Talk to us, Birdy. Tell your fans where we’re going,” Meredith prodded kindly, indicating she speak directly into the camera.
Birdy forced herself to remain calm. While still in New York, she’d asked that Meredith and her film crew not come with her, but they’d insisted, stating that it was part of her contract. Frustrated by their claim, Birdy had shown the agreement to Katie. Apparently, it was iron clad. The cameraman could go anywhere, except the bathroom. After a little more deliberation, the network conceded to only one cameraman, Josh to film the whole affair.
“I’m flying to Maui for my best friend’s wedding,” Birdy said.
“Why Maui? She and Max are from New York. Surely, they could’ve booked The Plaza for their nuptials,” Meredith said.
“I’m sure they could have,” Birdy said, glancing out the window. “But they fell in love in Maui.” A twinge of sadness shot through her heart. She didn’t want to be alone.
“And who’s this handsome man sitting across the aisle from you?” Meredith continued.
Birdy made a point not to look at him. “Ares Devereux.” She kept her voice monotone, but her traitorous heart jumped at the thought of him.
There was no question the man looked good. Birdy had been a model when she was younger and had spent time in the company of a lot of handsome guys. Ares put them all to shame. He had chocolate brown hair, tanned skin, and hazel eyes. On paper, he sounded bland. But he was so much more than that. She’d thought about why on more than one occasion, trying to determine what made him different and came to the conclusion that it was his magnetism. He didn’t just have brown hair, it was the way he wore it—short with no fuss and parted to one side. The style allowed easy access to his gorgeous, serious eyes framed by thick, dark lashes. And it wasn’t just that he was tall. At over six feet, he dwarfed her five feet ten inches. Muscles rippled under his deep gray suit jacket making it obvious he liked to keep himself fit. But he wasn’t vain. Ares took care of himself without obsessing. He was also very intimidating. From the moment Birdy first met him in that small room at the 13th precinct, he’d taken charge. Confidence radiated from every pore of his body. He oozed conviction, but wasn’t arrogant. It frustrated her to no end, especially since she found herself drawn to him.
“Ares, are you looking forward to spending some time in Hawaii?” Meredith asked.
Birdy noticed the other woman batted her eyelashes as she spoke. She covered up a smile. It wasn’t the first time a woman made an extra effort around him, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last. But it wouldn’t ever be her, either.
The camera panned over to Ares. “Of course,” he said, looking up from the paperwork sitting on the fold down desk in front of him. “Who wouldn’t want to spend a week at the beach?”
“And you’re the best man, correct?”
He gave her a slow smile. “I am.”
Birdy still couldn’t believe Max had asked Ares to be his best man. Max was in a Christian band with friends from high school. One would think he would’ve asked them or even his brothers. According to Katie, he had, but they’d all declined for one reason or another. Max and Ares had only become friends since Katie started working at Bird, Myers, and Childress, but apparently the two of them had hit it off. When Max was in town they played basketball together on Saturday mornings. Plus, they worked out together a couple of times a week. Ares had also been a fourth at several dinners where Birdy had been invited too. She inwardly rolled her eyes at that. Katie believed Birdy and Ares were meant to be together, but Birdy refused to be force fed a man, even one as stunning as Ares.
“Any plans while in Maui?” Meredith asked, her voice getting breathy. “Do you know how to surf?”
“I do know how to surf, but it’s been a while.” He stacked his papers before placing them into his ever-present briefcase. “Still, I’m game for whatever the bride- and groom-to-be have planned for us.” He glanced over at Birdy as he spoke, but she refused to make eye contact.
The fasten seatbelt sign came on.
“Shut the camera off,” Meredith said to Josh. “We’ll pick it up on the ride over to the hotel.” Meredith took a seat across from Ares. “If you want some company, feel free to call me,” she added, touching his knee.
Ares awarded Meredith with a winning smile. “I will.”
Chapter Two
Ares Alexander Devereux closed his eyes as the plane descended. He wasn’t afraid of flying, per say. He’d been on more than his share of planes. Helicopters, too. He’d also flown them, and jumped out of them. But it’d been a while. Every time he rode in a plane, memories of his final mission as a SEAL invaded his mind. It had involved a shark, a bomb, and a bullet wound to his thigh. During that mission, he’d also lost his best friend. The loss still haunted him.
“Everything okay?” Birdy asked.
He smiled, keeping his eyes closed. She had such a generous spirit even when she was trying not to. “I’m fine, thanks.” He paused, opened one eye, and looked at her. “Are you all right?”
She
laughed, relaxing her head against the headrest. “Groovy,” she said.
Turbulence caused the plane to bump and Ares clung to the armrests, feeling the blood leave his knuckles. He took a deep breath. Blew it out slowly. One of the most basic lessons he’d learned during his time as a Navy SEAL was to temper his fears. “Accept that fear exists and then do what you have to do. Fear is your greatest enemy. The moment you feel it, accept it; then squash it.” His commanding officer had spoken those words so often, they’d become a part of his internal self-talk. In his mind, each one of his fears became a cockroach. Sometimes they were bigger than others. The fear invading his body at the moment was enormous. But he imagined himself crushing it and immediately felt better.
His father also gave him some sound advice the day before he left for SEAL training. “Have faith not fear.” Those were some of the final words his dad had spoken to him before he died. Pancreatic cancer took him. It’d been painful to watch. His dad had been a big man like Ares, military hardened, but still kind. Ares had considered his father one of his best friends and losing him had been the most difficult experience in his life. To make matters worse, his dad never had the chance to see Ares complete his SEAL training. Sometimes, when he was having a particularly difficult day, he would pull out his phone to call his dad, and then remember his dad was gone. Even after so long, the memory hurt.